1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a card connector and more particularly to a novel mechanism for inserting a card without any load and, after insertion, allowing the contacting surface thereof to slide contact.
The term "card" used herein means a wiring board or an IC card, etc. which has a plurality of contact pieces for contacting with a plurality of contacts provided on a connector main body.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been known a conventional card connector, in which a slit formed in a connector for inserting a card therethrough is provided at a bottom portion thereof with a vertically movable cam member for opening/closing a contact, the cam member being vertically moved by suitable means such as an eccentric cam member or a crank lever, the upward movement of the vertically movable cam member pressurizing and opening the contact thereby to allow the card to be inserted without any load, the downward movement of the vertically movable cam member canceling the pressure against the contact to close the contact.
However, the function of the cam member employed in the above-mentioned prior art is only to open or close the contact normally to abut a card contacting piece against a predetermined position or separate the card contacting piece threrefrom. In other words, the cam member employed in the prior art does not have such a function as to slide contact the contacting piece. The contact is always effected in the form of a mere abutment by resilient force of the contact. Therefore, good contact is prevented owing to the presence of an oxide film.
The cam member, after closing the contact, is lowered to a waiting position and allowed to be in a playing state. This means that the cam member does not have such a function as to support the card in a contacting position and to maintain the contact.